Bridge in Radnor Township No. 2
Why it's listed
Built in 1905 over Meadow Brook Creek on Bryn Mawr Avenue in Radnor Township, this brick and concrete bridge carries vehicle traffic across a single span of about ten feet, with an overall length of 75 feet. Its arch is unusually small for a bridge of its type, and the vault is skewed. The parapets are decorated with molded concrete details in the Gothic Revival style, set into sculptural walls that were designed to suit the early twentieth-century suburban setting. A commemorative stone set in the ornate parapet records that the bridge was presented to Radnor Township by George W. C. Drexel. The bridge is significant for its engineering and for the combination of a small brick span with Gothic Revival ornament, which the nomination describes as unusual among the bridges considered in the group. It was entered in the register in June 1988 as part of a multiple-bridge nomination of Commonwealth-owned highway bridges.
Significance in brief: The bridge is described as unusually small in span with a skewed vault, and its parapet ornamentation in Gothic Revival style is said to be of a scale typical of larger monumental structures. The nomination treats its combination of small span, brick construction and Gothic Revival ornament as singular among the nominated bridges. It was a gift to the township, commemorated by a bridge stone reading that it was presented by George W. C. Drexel in 1905.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 88000784, listed June 22, 1988. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-haiku-5-5, prompt v1.1-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Bryn Mawr Ave. over Meadow Brook Creek, Villanova |
|---|---|
| County | Delaware County |
| Listed | June 22, 1988 |
| Reference number | 88000784 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Period of significance | 1905 |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| Areas of significance | Engineering |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Vehicular use; integrity marked unaltered in the form. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 40.01143, -75.34387 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 88000784.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4966374
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.